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The ex - HMAS Adelaide was scuttled off Terrigal on NSW's Central Coast. Come and dive this fantastic NEW DIVE Site . Nice and Easy - Book Online, we have real time availability and you receive immediate confirmation of your bookingsNice and Close - Pro Dive Central Coast is only 1.5 hrs north of Sydney

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Area Info

Long a popular destination for holiday-makers from around New South Wales, this seaside resort area about two hours drive north of Sydney now draws dive enthusiasts by the boat load. The attractions include rocky reefs and shoals, caves, drop- offs and a few shipwrecks.

One of the most interesting sires is an old mooring area littered with the rusting old car engines, steel beams and chains that once kept the fishing fleet from drifting away. Wrasse, bream, whiting, morwong, perch, flathead and small stingrays love the place.

Gray Nurse sharks March to May in deeper waters, Migratory whales during season, Port Jackson sharks in winter. Being 1.5 hours north of Sydney.

With no major river systems to cloud the water, we on more than a few occasions experienced 30 to 40 metres visibility from march until October, with the water temp always 1 to 2 degrees warmer than Sydney or Newcastle regions

HMAS Adelaide

Dive the ex-HMAS ADELAIDE

The NSW Central Coast has quite a few wrecks spread out along the length of the coast. Many of these wrecks had a very illustrious career, whilst some had a very hard life. The majority of wrecks meet their demise by misfortune, to this end they have become a great source of adventure and have re birthed as fish habitats, where fish have gathered and produced great fish aggregation areas for fishos.

We regularly dive local wrecks like the Valiant which lies in 27 metres of water off Barrenjoey, the Hallcaine in 54 metres off Killcare, then there is the Galava which lies in 51 metres off Terrigal, whilst the remains of the Commonwealth lays in 43 metres off Forresters and the Kiama is in 42 metres off the Entrance.

Further north the Nerong lies in 44 metres off Norah Head along with the Patersen at 10 metres just off Jenny Dixon beach. A little tug called the Advance lies in 47 metres off Catherine Hill bay.

Most of these wrecks as you can see, are in very deep water or have become wreck sites that resemble junk piles. To this end the Central Coast now has its very own ex naval ship to be sunk as an artificial reef that will become an exciting new dive site-

You are now able to dive the ex HMAS Adelaide every day of the week and with a short five minute run from the boat ramp this artificial reef will be the genesis with juvenile fish seeking hiding places, larger fish seeking ambush hideouts and predators patrolling the edge of visbility.

HistoryThe ex HMAS Adelaide II - A frigate built as a long-range escort with roles including area air defence, antisubmarine warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. The ship was capable of countering simultaneous threats from the air, surface and subsurface.

Displacing 4,100 tonnes and at around 138 metres long, this is an impressive dive site that will entertain thousands of divers from all over the world.

The HMAS Adelaide, with a top speed of 29 knots, this was a fairly sleek vessel with power to burn- the engine room will be a great area to explore- The gas turbines didn't need steam so the HMAS ADELAIDE didn't have to get up a head of steam and would have been ready for sea in only 30 minutes from cold. This made the HMAS Adelaide a very versatile vessel and using a repair by replacement style of maintenance program allowed for a reduced crew complement of 184 personnel.

The HMAS Adelaide was instrumental in rescuing ?Around the World? yachtsmen Thierry Dubois and Tony Bullimore from the Southern Ocean in 1997 was also the first vessel of her class to fire a Harpoon missile

Long Reef

Located North of Sydney Harbour. The main site at Long Reef is located along a large rock wall and drops to 15 to 20 metres. There is a huge rock formation that has a large swim-through running from east to west called The Cathedral. The cathedral one of the sites highlights is formed by two massive boulders leaning against each other and is covered in sea tulips, sponges and bryozoans. The Cathedrals ceiling is always abundant with sealife. Once you reach the western side it is home to masses of fish; bullseyes, roughies, yellowtail, pike and tailor. There are plenty of starfish, large cuttlefish, wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks. We find visibility gets much clearer during winter so keep this site in mind for a mid winter dive. Swimming north of the cathedral and following the wall you come across large gutters, frequented by young grey nurse sharks. Note - Watch for strong currents.

Swansea Bridge

Swansea channel is the only entrance to the sea from the largest saltwater lake in Australia, Lake Macquarie. As such, there is a massive water interchange each day as the tides rise and fall. Where the Pacific Highway crosses the channel it was necessary to build an opening bridge to allow boat traffic to pass. This steel bridge has created the fishiest and noisiest pylon dive in Australia. Diving Swansea Bridge takes place during the slack water of high tide (unless you do a drift dive), which is about two to three hours after the tide has officially turned. For the best information check with the dive shop or watch when local divers go into the water. Follow the break-wall along to the pylons and then follow them out across the channel. Do not surface anywhere in the channel as there are lots of boats including yachts.On the coarse white sand bottom you will find sole, flathead, fortescues and balling striped catfish. In mid-water you'll find schools of fish of many different species. On the pylons look for playful horned blennies hiding in the empty barnacle shells among the sponges and hydroids, which have converted this man-made structure into a living reef. On the bottom look for the 'shopping trolley', quite often they are the home for sea horses, pipe fish and striped dumpling cuttlefish.

A fast drift dive can be undertaken from the boat ramp on the north-eastern side of the bridge to another boat ramp near the caravan park on the western side. Keep an eye out for old bottles.